Wednesday, 8 April 2009

Unline art groups.

A few months ago I had a whiz wow great idea of setting up some art groups on Facebook. It was all triggered by Women's Hour radio show history line of Women that have done great things in history thing. Well there were not as many Women as I thought there would be and not all Women come forward and make a song and dance about something they have invented or done for the good of the people they are constantly doing good things and don't get the credit for it. I know about credits sometimes I have had to demand them for shows and sometimes I just let other people take the credit as they seem to get some sort of enjoyment out of it. My Dad always says before you sign the deal make sure you get in the credits. Why do extras and cleaners never get on film credits. From experience of being an film extra you can be there for the whole time the actors are there of even longer. If I make a block buster film I am certainly going to put the extras and the cleaners on the credits and all the people who never get on the credits.

Back to the groups The first group I set up was "A. arty women in Illustration", I thought this one would attract female illustrators and people that are looking for female illustrators. Well so far the group has 8 people in it. Well I thought there would be more then 8 female illustrators in the world but maybe there all shy.

Next group I set up was "A. arty women furniture designer/makers" this has 10 women in the group and 8 of them are in the illustration group too. So why isn't there more female carpenters out there. Well from my experience it all starts at school where boys do carpentry and girls do domestic chore class. Well school really gears you up for the real world. I am nearly 40 and had no marriage offers and all that good schooling that trained me up for domestic chores has gone to waste. But I have had a million situations where a power drill has come in handy.

I was a curious maker kid as a kid I would make things whether I had knowledge about the tools or not. I remember sneaking into the shed and using the electric power drill by trial and error. luckily no damage, to myself. The school play aged 15, the teacher says put up your hands to all those who want to build the set. My hand was up and the teacher began to crack a sweat. He then yelled at the boys come on, it will go towards your carpentry certificate. A few reluctant lads put there hands up. The teacher then pulled me to one side and said girls don't do carpentry. I said I do, why should it make any difference. So he arranged for me to go into the carpentry class to build the set with the lads. The teacher there was also worried about a girl in the class. I felt like I was in a strangers house.

I remember telling the lads how to countersink the nuts in the wood and wondered why they were there when they had no interest in being there.

So then I did carpentry at art school as that's what artists use to learn at art school as part of there training. Then in Australia I did a carpentry for women course, which was the first ever course for women. They segregated us from the boys because we might disrupt there training, by the power of distraction.

To be fair I didn't mind a women only course. I made a tool box and everything in it.

Then went and built a city based on rock and roll. Well giant festivals and shows, theatre and the expo's.

Now I got my first job as a designer of furniture, it feels kind a strange not having to saw up a bit of wood.

So this group needs more women to come forward and to come out of the carpentry closet.

find out more about the other arty groups I have set up in the following days.